Angel Dare and the Anti Sanctuary - Book One
by heroicunicorn99
Summary: AU where Skulduggery Pleasant saves a foreign girl from being murdered after her parents are shot in front of her. He takes her into the magical world to help protect her. It becomes clear that she is an elemental and combat prodigy. There are others not so eager to accept somebody so young from a different background. Set about a year before Resurrection.
1. Chapter 1 - Angel

Left, right, dodge, left-right-left stab, duck-stab, roll-stab-slash.

I chant these in my head as I fight the training bot. I came in early. Four hours early. I wanted to practice my fencing, I was sure I could beat Tanith this time. I'd never beaten her in my four months of training yet.

The beep beep beep noise of the robot powering off in defeat startled me out of my thoughts. I had gotten too comfortable, and things had gotten too instinctive. I'd started to think about New York.

I stood up panting. I hadn't really been paying attention. The training bot was predictable, much unlike a real person. I have a bad habit of getting too comfortable and letting my mind wander. Not a good habit when you regularly fight real people.

Glancing at my phone I sighed. Skulduggery was on surveillance a couple hours away. He wasn't allowed to tell me what he was doing. Ghastly was forcing me to go to _the_ Academy, Corrival Academy, to be exact, and he didn't want me involved with any cases. It was a privilege, only the elite could get in, blah blah blah. Even though technically, Skullduggery was my legal guardian, he had only half-heartedly agreed. I was stuck going to boarding school. To be fair, it was only forty five minutes or so away from the center of Roarhaven, but I still wouldn't be able to leave the school often.

Tanith was not usually late, but this time I was extra early. I woke up too quickly and I had too much I didn't want to think about. I'd done a few rounds more when as I decided to call her to call her. She walked in as soon as I picked up my phone.

"Angel!" She called. I smiled, still a little out of breath. She must have noticed the sweat on my body and my quivering muscles. Tanith sighed. "You came early again, didn't you?"

I nodded. "Too many things I didn't want to think about." I noticed her look. "I don't really want to talk about it." I murmured looking down at the floor.

"It's ok if you, you know, want to talk. Maybe it would be better..."

"No! I mean, really, I'm fine."

Tanith raised an eyebrow. "Really? Fine? Does waking up at one in the morning screaming and sobbing sound fine to you?"

I pursed my lips. She had a point, but I really didn't want to talk about it. Talking about it meant thinking about, which meant reliving it. I never want to relive that moment again. Ever.

"He told you about that?" I finally answered.

"Uh huh. And how it's the third night in a row it's happened. Don't lie to me, you look like a raccoon. How much sleep have you been getting?"

I just shrugged and looked down at the floor. My muscles still shook a bit, and I was still sore from last night's session, but I needed to just put all the pain and fear into a fight.

"I've been working on my fencing," I said, changing the subject. "You said I needed to think about what I'm doing, and to stay on edge, not get placid." I could tell she didn't want to ignore my issues, but she decided to leave it.

I talk to Tanith sometimes, but I'm careful. When I do talk to her, I talk about the New York before my parent's death, and that's when she sees me. It's nice to have someone know me without all the issues.

The morning went by in a blur and was fairly uneventful. I had a new set of bruises to soak off, and had yet to beat Tanith. She suggested ice cream, so I agreed. Ice cream is the best medicine for anything.

000000000

The ice cream was good, but it got me thinking.

Thinking about New York.

I can't think about New York.

Unfortunately, my dreams are way too much out of my control.

Was it bad?

Well…

Let's just say I woke up screaming.

Again.


	2. Chapter 2 - Angel

We were just having dinner. We'd gone to our favorite plaza, the one with the ice cream store, chinese restaurant, and the coffee shop.

My mom was smiling and laughing, and my dad was too. I was happy that they were happy. We were just finishing our ice cream. I knew once we got home, we'd watch our favorite tv shows, and have fun.

But we would never get to do that together again.

We got to the car, my dad unlocked it. My phone buzzed. I was pulling out my phone, to see the notification I'd gotten when it happened.

There was a gunshot; my dad hit the hard asphalt ground, and he didn't move. I screamed, dropping my phone. I saw one man, a dark figure stalking towards us.

"In the car Alyssa!"

"But-"

"In the car!"

I scrambled into the back seat, and looked out the window. My mom was running over to my dad.

The dark figure lifted his hand, and a gunshot echoed through the empty parking lot. My mom fell against the truck, and I screamed even louder.

Her body slid down the car, her blood a giant red blotch on the window.

I blinked. There was a message written in the blood.

Save me.

Save Us.

Then the dark figure walked over their bodies, threw open the door, stared right at me, and raised his gun.

0000000000

This is when I wake up screaming.

Every time I have this dream, I wake up like this.

My screams turned to quiet sobs, and I hoped Skulduggery hadn't heard me. Of course he had, how couldn't he? I heard the door open. The light switched on.

Skulduggery stood looking at me, then came and sat down on my bed. He handed me the box of tissues he had gotten used to bringing in with him.

He looked at my face. "Same dream?"

Sighing, "Yes." I answered. "Always."

"Do you want to talk-"

"No." He asks every time. Every time I say no.

Skulduggery stood up again, leaving the tissues with me. His head tilted. "Fine. Get some sleep tonight. I mean it! Tanith said you look more like me every morning." He was trying to lighten the mood. It wasn't exactly working.

I nodded mutely. I felt bad, really. They wanted to help, but I didn't want to think about it. They say that when someone dies, you shouldn't just do a sort of "Fake it 'till you make it" sort of thing, but that's exactly what I'd been doing. Problem was, you can't put a band-aid over a bullet hole and expect it to be fine.

Needless to say, I didn't go back to sleep. I couldn't leave my room at one in the morning. Skullduggery would just send me right back. Sighing, I hunted around my room for a book.

It was a decent sized room, but I didn't have much to put in it. I had my violin, my bookshelf (with all its books), a desk, and a couple of art supplies.

I settled on one of my all time favorite series. Neither Tanith nor Skulduggery had ever heard of it, and it was one of the few things I'd brought from New York.

When I'd finished the first book, it was seven o'clock. I was exhausted, but I was too scared of my dreams to go back to bed. Coward.

I stood up and stretched. Ahhh Saturday. I had "slept in" by my standards, so I got dressed and ready for training. Walking into the kitchen I saw a note. Skulduggery was away. Again.

Normally I wouldn't have minded. What I did mind though, was that I couldn't go with him or know what he was doing. I'd just have to do my magic on my own. There's no way Ghastly would be able to leave his sanctuary duties on such short notice, and Tanith didn't do elemental magic.

I ate my breakfast quickly and tried to focus on things that didn't involve dreams and gunshots and death. I felt like I was going to collapse, but I knew what would happen then. I had checked my reflection in the bathroom mirror earlier, and I knew I looked like a zombie. The only thing I could do was slap some concealer and foundation on, hoping it would hide the worst of it.

I hopped onto one of the magic train subway thingies to get to the sanctuary. One of Roarhaven's perks was the varied methods of magical transportation, and the subway was one of my favorites. One of the sanctuary mages had tried to explain it to me once, but I couldn't understand any of the jargon she used.

I got onto the train and glanced around. A habit that Skulduggery had instilled in me, I was always careful and aware of my surroundings. I noticed the train number (19), number of seats (27), and the number of people.

There were two boys who looked about my age. They were similar looking, but one was definitely better looking than the other. Maybe he could even be considered handsome.

He looked familiar, like I'd seen him somewhere before. There were two women talking with each other. They also looked alike, so my guess was that they were sisters.

There were 3 women in office clothing, and 4 men with office briefcases also dressed for work, all on their phones.

That was 11 people, but at the next stop, two more got on. 13.

A man in a windbreaker and jeans got on, carrying a black backpack. The other man, clearly an acquaintance, was dressed similarly, also carrying an identical black bag. They weren't exactly typical, but it was still summer, and they could have been going anywhere. It was a huge city, and God knew what they were doing.

I was staring out my window watching the murals on the walls go by when the first man stood up. I didn't think much of it until I realized that the train had not stopped. I looked up, curious.

Then the man pulled out a gun. I froze.

"On the floor. Now."

"Now!" Shouted his partner after I paused. His voice startled me out of my trance. He shoved me out of my seat and onto the floor. Snatching my phone out of my hands, he kicked me in the stomach. Hard

I hadn't gotten a good look, but I knew. I knew what the model of the gun was, that it had six bullets, and in such close range, he could take at least six lives before he would need to reload (in only 10 seconds) even if he was a horrible shot, which he wasn't.

He was clearly trained, his hand didn't shake, his safety was off, and there was a look in his eyes. I'd helped Skulduggery, and helped put away the murderous psychos. I hadn't seen the eyes of my parent's killer in real life, but I saw them every night in my dreams. Sometimes they were all white. Other times they were all black. The worst times were when they looked like my eyes.

But I knew that he had the eyes of a trained killer.

The one who had kicked me was collecting cell phones and other electronics from everyone. He touched the bag and I could see sparks fry all the electronics. He clearly was an adept. The better looking boy's eyes were wide. He was reaching for his brother's hand.

Along with taking their phones, the partner was snapping cuffs on the adults' wrists. They had put them on the boys and other office workers, but he stopped at me.

I shook off my trance and tried to sit up. My stomach hurt, and I almost puked when I finally was able to move into a sitting position.

I realized the cuffs must have been magic dampeners. All the adults had been rendered useless and forced to lay down near the back, away from the door. The short man came over to me with his bag and swore when he realized he was out of cuffs.

He went back to his friend, muttering about extra passengers. I saw them glare at me, and I froze when I heard their whispers.

" _Too many people-_ ". Of course. Anybody doing their research would know I didn't normally take this train at this time. I was much earlier on Saturdays, but still. They must have been doing some intense research to know how many cuffs they _exactly_ needed.

" _I knew we needed more, but-_ "

" _It's fine. She probably doesn't have much magic anyways. Better we secure the adults and Darkly brothers._ "

Darkly. Darkly Darkly Darkly Darkly. Why was that so familiar?

I was closest to the door, but the subway was still speeding down the tunnels. They'd chosen the longest ride to take action. The ride was 30 minutes long and assuming they'd disabled the cameras and emergency services couldn't see us, then we would be here for almost twenty more minutes. Even if I had magic, it would be useless to try and escape.

The taller man with the gun directed the two boys to one end of the car. It seemed like they had a special interest in the two.

I heard the brakes screech to a stop. The shorter man chuckled.

"So Slander did his job, eh Kirin?"

The tall man was silent, but a horrible grin spread across his face.

The train shouldn't have stopped, we'd only been on for fifteen minutes. However, guessing from their commentary, this had to have been planned.

Kirin snatched up the shorter boy and held a gun up against his head.

"Now," he said slowly, letting each letter roll out on his tongue, "If any of you get any ideas, and I mean _any_ , you will be responsible for the death of this young man.

"Sable, once we go up there, kill the rest."

Kirin motioned for them to go up the emergency ladder, and Sable opened the door. A loud, high pitched whine emitted from the speakers, alerting the emergency services.

The shorter boy looked terrified, and started trembling.

"Auger-"

That's when it clicked.

Auger Darkly was the savior of the world. He'd helped the sanctuary already once or twice, but it was a while ago. I'd never met him.

"Wait!"

Everybody looked at me. Kirin pressed the gun against the smaller boy's head harder.

"Didn't you hear me? Don't do-"

"I know! But if you're taking them you have to take me too." At this point, I didn't really know what I was saying. None of it made any sense, I just knew how bad it would be if somebody with ulterior motives got ahold of Auger Darkly.

Auger probably could've escaped if he'd had magic, but he was cuffed. I also knew that he would never do anything to hurt someone else, especially his brother, even if it was for the 'greater good'.

"And why would I do that?" Kirin snarled, glaring daggers at me.

"Because, umm..." I didn't know what to say.

Kirin moved the gun from the other boy's head to mine.

"Because I know stuff!" I blurted out. Sable just chuckled.

"Yeah right. Nothing we don't already know."

"What about the sigils on the manhole covers?" There were no sigils. Not to my knowledge, atleast.

Sable looked a little uncomfortable. "What sigils?"

"Oh, well you see," I was definitely rambling now, "Ms. Sorrows specifically put up sigils that directly alert her to any unauthorized persons in the tunnels. And they're not just on the covers. They're on the walls and escape routes too."

Sable opened his mouth, but Kirin interrupted him. "How do you even know this?"

I blanked. I didn't know what to say that wouldn't give everything away.

"Shoot her." He said. Sable drew his own gun out, but before he could do anything, Auger spoke up.

"Her father, sir. He works at the sanctuary."

Kirin looked surprised. "How would you know? She's _American_. No foreigner would ever work-"

"I'm adopted. From America, and I've been learning sigils..." I said, trailing off. It was kind of vague, and I'd be surprised if they actually believed it.

"It's true." The younger one said. Owen, I think. No one really seemed to pay much attention to him.

Kirin seemed to deliberate this for a moment. He looked furious, and I held my breath in wait.

"Fine." he snapped. "Sable, put that away, and Ms. American can-"

"I'm only coming if you don't hurt anybody else on the train."

"Excuse me?"

"You're going to kill me anyway, but you don't need to hurt anybody else here."

Auger's eyes were wide, and seemed to be asking me _Are you crazy?_

Probably.

Kirin shoved the boy to the ladder, but kept his gun out. He gestured to Sable to climb the ladder.

"Kirin! Are you-"

Sable was silenced with one look, but he certainly was furious. Clearly, Kirin was superior.

I slowed my breathing as I walked over to the ladder, just like Tanith had taught me. I would not let them down. I stopped.

"You first."

"Excuse me?"

"If you want what I know then you have to go first so I know you won't hurt anybody."

Kirin didn't buy it this time, and shoved me up against the ladder. I had no choice but to climb.

He actually followed. Perhaps he didn't want to take any risks with my information, but I was still on edge until I saw him come through the emergency hatch.

I breathed a sigh of relief as he shut the hatch. Good. Nobody hurt. Now onto the next problem.

Kirin gestured wordlessly to another ladder leading down from the train to a small path besides the tracks. Once we were all down, he turned to me.

"Explain the sigils."


	3. Chapter 3 - Angel

Crap. I had no idea what to tell him. I knew I had to act fast before they called my bluff.

"Well, uh, there's a sort of, um, whaddya call it, um, shielding sigil! You have to put it on the uh, people you want to um, shield and the alerts don't go off." That sort of made sense.

"What's the sigil? Can you write it?"

"Yes?" Oh dear Lord help me.

"Get to it then!"

I straightened my back, and pulled a marker out of my pocket.

"Will that work?" Sable asked doubtfully, his eyes narrowed.

"Yes. Now turn around and crouch down so I can write it." I snapped. Hopefully impatience could hide my fear.

He did so with a grunt. Kirin came around behind me with his gun aimed at my head. Sable did the same for him and the boys.

I did my best to trace the same sigil on the back of everybody's neck. No one said anything, so I figured I was in the clear. I drew a sort of squiggly line with three squares on each side.

"What's your name?" asked Kirin.

"Alyssa."

"Have you chosen yet?"

I paused, wanting to make my act believable.

"No." I mumbled, looking down at my feet.

He grinned. "Well then, _Alyssa_ , be a good girl and keep walking straight ahead. Don't try anything now."

I shuddered, but pretended to be under his control. I did as I was told to.

We started walking down the tunnels. My best guess was South, which meant we were probably leaving the tunnels to be picked up by a car.

Kirin was leading, and Sable was trailing long in the back. I was sandwiched between the two boys, with Auger in front of me and his brother in the back with a gun to his head. I knew we would have to stop eventually for a break, and that's when I would make my move. Sable was fairly stout and was already huffing and puffing from our pace, which wasn't quite a slow jog.

I noticed that Kirin's pace was losing speed. He knew Sable was slowing us down, and that he was wasting his precious time.

"Wait here," he said. He started down the tunnel with his phone, leaving us behind. I watched him go, a little surprised that he would leave. He must have been sure I was in control. I was sure I'd be able to take Sable, but maybe not Kirin.

I glanced at Sable. He was struggling to stand straight up. I'd never really noticed, but he was fairly short, about my height, and there was plenty of padding around his gut. He was panting, while I wasn't even winded.

The only problem was his gun and his magic.

His gun was in his hand, and the keys to the cuffs were in his pocket. I probably would have to knock him out to get in there. His gun I might have been able to knock away with a gust of wind, but I wasn't sure how well I'd be able to fire it. I did my best to avoid guns.

Unfortunately, I didn't really have a choice of when, how, or where I fought him. I didn't know when Kirin would be back, and sound travelled in these tunnels. I would have to be quick so Kirin couldn't come back and kill me.

Sable was beginning to get his breath back, and moved his gun hand away from the boys head. That was my signal.

I sent the biggest wall of air I could muster, and Sable was knocked to the ground. I saw his gun ricochet off the wall and onto the tracks.

I pushed him down with the air as I sprinted over to him. I couldn't decide who looked more shocked, the boys or Sable himself.

He was trying to get up, and I knew I wouldn't be able to hold him down long. Hopefully, I had hit his head hard enough against the concrete that he was at the very least disoriented. I had to let up my wall of air so I could fight though, and that was problematic.

He was on his knees by the time I'd gotten over to him. His eyes had a wicked glare to them, and I could feel the fury and anger radiating off of him. His hand shot up and I was blasted across the tunnel. I'm not sure how I got up, but I knew I was lucky it had only been a small blast.

Sable was stalking towards me now, fully recovered from my pitiful attempt to knock him out. Crap crap crap crap crap-

 _OOF!_

Another shock hit me in my leg, pain shot up. I'd barely managed to roll away from another one aimed at my head. I tried sitting up, but another blast knocked me down onto my face. If I dragged this fight on much longer, Kirin was sure to hear and come to fight. My chances of surviving unscathed were getting slimmer and slimmer.

Sable loomed over me and pulled out his gun. My nose was broken, I could feel the blood trickling down my face. I was pretty sure I'd sprained my ankle as well from my landing. I pushed up from the floor and stood shakily to my feet wincing in pain. Sable had his gun aimed at my face. He was grinning smugly.

I clicked my fingers and made a fist, stepping away. He should've shot me by now, why wasn't he shooting?

I'd taught myself how to make a fireball, but my aim wasn't the best. I glanced at Auger and his brother. Auger was trying to get his shackles off, presumably to help me fight, but to no avail. Owen was trying as well, also with no luck.

I threw a fireball at Sable's face. It missed by half a foot, but it still made him duck. I kicked at his side as he bent down, and he stumbled. Normally one of those kicks could incapacitate somebody, but I hadn't been able to place it right. It barely affected him.

Another crack of electricity. Another fireball. Back and forth we went. Sable should have ended the fight, but he seemed to be enjoying himself. I wanted to end it, but I barely had enough strength for defense let alone offense.

My next shot was lucky. I hit Sable's hand. He dropped his gun with a shout. I threw another one at his face. It hit him square on. He yelled in pain, and I pushed forward with a gust of air. He toppled over and didn't move. The sound of his skull hitting the cement made me wince, and he wasn't moving. The loud crack was still echoing through the tunnel when I got my breath back a few moments later.

I crept over cautiously, and kicked him in the head. His eyes were closed but I could still see his chest rise and fall. Not dead.

I rummaged through his pockets and found the keys. I saw his gun a few feet away. I took a deep breath and picked it up. I dropped it. The cold metal seemed to sting my hand, and my breathing had quickened as soon as my fingers had grazed the handle.

I tugged the black backpack off of his limp shoulders. A quick glance through it revealed that it was mostly empty, save for a chocolate bar and a wallet in the bottom, both of which I left in the bag. There was a knife in one of the side pockets as well. I nudged the gun into the open pocket with my foot and zipped up the bag. I hurriedly swung it onto my shoulder and limped over to the boys.

"Are you okay?" Auger immediately asked. He looked worried, and a little embarrassed. He probably would have helped me if he wasn't shackled. I didn't blame him. The whole point of me coming was to make sure nothing happened to him, and if he got in the fight, he could've gotten killed with no magic.

"I'm fine."

He looked at me. "You're limping, your nose looks broken, and you have a black eye. You're also having some trouble standing up straight. How is that fine?"

My face flushed in embarrassment as I stood up straighter, despite the screaming pain in my stomach and ankle. It was almost exactly what Tanith had told me the day before. "I'm walking, aren't I?" I snapped.

"Well, yeah, but..."

"I can deal with that later. But we have to get out of here. Now."

They both looked at me.

"How?" asked Owen.

They continued to look at me.

I sighed. Maybe a part of me had hoped that Auger Darkly would have stepped in. I was exhausted. Between getting less than 4 hours of sleep the past four nights and the last fight, I could barely stand.

"This way," I pointed, "Back the way we came. We might want to hurry though. If- no, When Kirin discovers us missing, well, we don't exactly have a lot of places to hide."

I limped back the way we'd come without looking back. Well, hopefully, it was the way we'd come. I wasn't always that great with directions. I heard the footsteps behind me and knew that the boys were following.


	4. Chapter 4 - Angel

We'd been walking for about five minutes when Auger came up next to me.

"I'm Auger, by the way," he said.

"I know." What a wonderful conversationalist I am.

He was silent for a few minutes.

"What's your name?"

I looked at him.

"I mean, I know it can't be Alyssa 'cause you weren't controlled by them, but you must have a chosen name."

My vision was a little blurry, and I was seeing some spots. I shook my head to clear them.

He looked at me expectantly.

"Angel." I finally said. "Dare, Angel Dare." Moving face muscles hurt. There was blood crusted on my face and hair from my broken nose, and I self consciously did my best to wipe it away.

Auger smiled. "That's a pretty name. Nice to meet you, Angel." I smiled back.

He was silent for a moment, then continued. "What you did back there? That was super brave."

"Thanks."

"I'm serious. I mean, most people would just have done what they were told and hoped they got ignored."

I just nodded. My nose and ankle hurt so bad I couldn't really concentrate on what he was saying.

We walked on. I knew I was slowing them down, but I could only walk so fast with my ankle. I couldn't wait to take a nice bath and to finally rest. Kenspeckle wouldn't be pleased that I'd managed to get hurt, but he would still fix me up.

When we had been walking for what seemed for forever, Owen started whistling. I realized groggily that I should probably tell him to shut up. Noise carried well in the tunnels and we didn't need any help attracting unwanted attention.

Suddenly I froze.

The whistling wasn't coming from behind.

It was from around the corner.

I grabbed Auger's shoulder, and shoved both boys against the wall. Putting a finger to my lips, I motioned them back the way we came. Owen looked confused until realization dawned on him. Auger's eyes were wide.

I didn't know who was there, but I remembered the third person Sable had mentioned, Slander.

I knew it was pointless for me to try to hold it, but I reached into the bag to grab the gun anyway. My fingers shook as I touched the metal. I almost dropped it before my arm shot out as I shoved the gun at Auger. He fumbled with it for a moment before holding it in the proper position. He was holding it like an expert in seconds and had it aimed towards the whistling. I shoved my hand into the pocket of the backpack, hoping I could find something to defend myself with. I had to settle for the sheathed knife.

I pulled it out and held it in my hand, ready to use. I was too weak and couldn't concentrate enough to use magic. I would probably be defenceless even with my knife. I did my best to get into a defensive position despite my ankle. My walking around and stumbling on it hadn't helped its injury. Along with being on fire, I'm pretty sure it was swelling up now.

Auger started going in front of me, and I didn't argue. Since we were going in a line, he had a much better chance than I did.

He stalked forward towards the corner. I tensed as he stepped forward, and a figure appeared.

The man stopped short when he saw us. He was tall with a goatee, and was wearing an expensive suit. He swore and had his gun out in seconds. Auger fired a shot and missed, but before any of us could do anything else, he had grabbed Auger by the neck and had him in a headlock with his gun to Auger's temple.

I stopped breathing and squeezed my knife even tighter.

What the hell was I going to do?

"Ah, hell." He sighed. "I see Slander and Kirin screwed up." He glared at me, just now seeming to notice me. "Now who the hell are you little lady?"

If he wasn't holding Auger, I might have very well stabbed him just for calling me that. Unfortunately, he had the upper hand and I could barely walk. Dammit.

"I said-"

"I know what you said!" I snapped. Auger was looking at me like he was trying to tell me something. I took a deep breath. "I was taken with these two. I knew how to do the shielding sigils to go undetected."

Auger was looking at me again. The way he was being held had his arms down at his sides, gun included. He seemed to be looking at his gun and my hands, implying something. He started to bring his wrists back to flick the gun at me.

I shook my head no, but it was too late. Slander had already seen it and was lunging forward to intercept it.

I managed to catch Auger's gun. I don't know how I was able to make my hands move forward and grab it, but I did. Slander's gun flew up from Auger's forehead to mine. The gun was shaking in my hands, but it was aimed at him now.

"Drop it. Drop it now." He snarled. He was furious, but deep into his killer's eyes, I could see fear.

And I did something I never thought I'd be able to do.

I pulled the trigger.

I knew I would have a new feature in my nightmares, but it didn't matter at the moment. Ignoring the pain in my ankle, I grabbed both boy's wrists and sprinted the other way.

But not before I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder and heard a loud bang. I cried out, my shoulder felt hot and wet and on fire, but I kept running.

We ran blindly and took almost every turn we found. We were hopelessly lost. A few minutes later, I pulled Auger and Owen to a stop. I figured the only reason we weren't being chased was the fact that I had actually shot Slander.

Holy shit. I shot somebody. I shot somebody so they weren't able to chase after us.

I stumbled and swayed back and forth for a few moments. Auger grabbed my arm, and Owen helped lower me to the ground. My ankle and shoulder were on fire. Tears were in my eyes, and I couldn't see straight.

Suddenly, I heard shouts and saw bright lights. They hurt my eyes, and the ground swayed beneath me. Everything was out of focus, and it was like I was hearing everything from underwater.

Finally, my vision went black.


	5. Chapter 5 - Auger

I'd never met anybody like Angel.

Her magical skills were incredible, and she fought like she'd been training for years. I don't know how she managed to beat Sable. I mean, as it was it was closeoj. She was hurt pretty bad afterward too.

I felt bad that I hadn't done anything to help her with Sable. My hands and magic were both bound, and I knew I would just be dead weight. When she'd freed us I was still shocked. I'd thought she had just been lying to avoid getting killed, not to help us. I had tried to make up for doing nothing by going first when we'd heard the whistling, which of course went wonderfully, what with her taking a _bullet_ for me.

I don't know how she managed to keep running with her ankle _and_ her shoulder. When she fainted I was so worried. We were lucky the search party had found us when they did. I'm clueless when it comes to bullet wounds, and Omen gags at just the thought of blood.

I'd wanted to go with her to the hospital- it was a high-level one run by Kenspeckle Grouse- but the moment we had gotten to the surface, she was swarmed by people. I recognized at least two grand mages and Tanith Lowe. Who the hell was she that she got the attention of the grand mages AND Tanith Lowe?

There was another man there who was talking to one of my teachers from Corrival Academy. Fletcher Renn, who was a teleporter. Probably to take her to a hospital as soon as possible.

"Auger!"

I turned. My parents were running over, still in their work clothes. My mother grabbed me into a hug. My father stood straight and stiff. He nodded towards me with a worried smile, but barely spared a glance for Omen. He murmured a 'son', which was his way of telling me how worried he was and how glad he was that I was safe. I think. My father was never very good at communicating his feelings.

Omen was standing behind me, awkwardly staring at his feet. Our parents ignored him ninety-nine percent of the time, and it was even more obvious when they were fawning over me. The one percent of the time that they did pay attention to him, it was to tell him he wasn't good enough, or he needed to work harder, or be more like me, the list goes on. I feel really bad for my brother.

"I'm okay. We're okay, Mum." I told her. Hoping to draw some of the attention away from me, I turned to Omen, prompting him to agree with me.

"Oh! Um yeah, I'm fine," he said after he'd finally noticed my look. "Yeah, we're okay, except for that girl. Uh, Angel, right Auger?" I nodded.

"She was hurt pretty bad. She got punched in the stomach, broke her nose, hurt her ankle, and shot in the shoulder."

My father's voice was slow and deep as he asked, "And now how did she manage that?"

I skipped some *minor* details, such as the guns against our heads, me holding a gun, or the threat to kill the people on the train. My mother has a tendency to occasionally overreact when I get put in danger. Thirteen years and she still can't get over it.

Being the "chosen one" has its perks; free service almost anywhere, respect from anyone and everyone, and not to mention the belief that I can do no wrong. But it also has its downsides.

I can barely breathe without having it be reported by the tabloids, it's nearly impossible to go anywhere unnoticed, and I'm the target for nearly any serious villain. Because of that, my parents have had elite trainers come in from around the world to train me, and to help "better prepare me to save the world". I hate it.

I know how much my brother wishes he could be like me, but I honestly wish it was the other way. I would do anything to just be ignored for once. There's so much pressure to be perfect.

I'd wanted to go check on Angel, I felt guilty for not being able to do anything, even after all of my training. My parents, however, had other plans.

After a somewhat brief meeting with the Sanctuary, my parents brought both me and Omen home. My mother never stopped fussing over me the entire car ride home. Omen was, as usual, completely ignored. I was so jealous.

When we finally got home, Mum called Nathaniel. Apparently, he was still in Australia but promised he would be in Roarhaven by tomorrow morning. She wanted him to start our training again as soon as possible.

Nathaniel Reticent was a world class boxer, fencer, wrestler, martial artist, and elemental. He was my main trainer, though others also came taught me on occasion. To be honest, I didn't really care for him all that much. He was strict, silent, and occasionally cruel. Especially to Omen, who was his "human punching bag". I knew Omen dreaded his sessions even more than I did.

I'd hoped that we could've waited until the school year (in two weeks) to start training again. We trained for two hours after school every. Single. Day. I train with my brother and my two friends, Kase and Mahala. No matter where we train, Omen is always the punching bag. Nathaniel is merciless and relentless, but he's not the worst part of training.

The worst part was his son, Oran Reticent. He's even worse than his father. Oran is practically the dictionary definition of a bully, and his humongous size and skill only help him. He doesn't mess with me or my friends, but Oran likes to push Omen around a lot. I do what I can to help him, but I can only do so much.

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"So you're telling me, that _one_ girl, armed only with four months of training-"

"In magic _and_ combat," Tanith Lowe interrupted, her bright green eyes focused intently on China Sorrows. "Don't forget she's been pushing herself to the limit the past four months." Her arms were crossed as she stood behind her, tapping her foot on the ground. This made me even more curious about Angel. Who was she, and how did she know Tanith Lowe?

"Fine. Even still, she managed to trick _two_ _senior_ mages into bringing her with them on their mission. She then defeats, _and_ escapes from two _senior_ mages, all while you two were handcuffed?"

"Yes. Although technically, the first one was one of the ones who kidnapped us, and the second one was the other partner who found us on the tracks. They talked on the train like he was there accomplice," I said, biting my lip. "She attacked the first one when the other one who kidnapped us left. Both were kind of surprise attacks. We uh, didn't know when Kirin would be back." I shuffled my feet on the floor, nervous, and a little embarrassed at how useless I had been. I had trained all my life to fight, and I couldn't even help a four-month trainee?

Nevertheless, I kept my back straight and my eyes on the Supreme Mage. Omen, on the other hand, was more interested in a scab he kept picking at on his left hand. He didn't have anything to worry about. He would be ignored, like always by my parents who stood straight and tall in the back of the debriefing room. On the other hand, I would get hell from Mum and Dad for being defenseless. I probably wouldn't be let out of the house alone for _weeks_. The worst part was that it wasn't to punish me, they just no longer trusted my abilities to stay safe. The lady who had introduced herself as Jadia was recording the debriefing looked up at Ms. Sorrows expectantly, sensing her tension.

She sighed, and rubbed her eyes. She looked exhausted, and I knew that she had been meeting with the press for several hours before meeting us here.

"She is an extremely capable mage, and her skills in magic _and_ combat have increased exponentially over the past four months." Mr. Bespoke told her. He looked almost as tired as China. How did Angel know Tanith Lowe _and_ Ghastly Bespoke? He continued, "I've watched her go from barely being able to make a spark to throwing full-grown men off of walls."

Ms. Sorrows finally stood up, shaking her head. "The only person seriously injured is Angel of course, but from what I've heard she'll recover. It sounds like she's saved plenty of lives this morning. I guess there's nothing more we can do. We've found none of the suspects yet - Jadia did you get the names? - but we will keep you updated. What's more concerning, however, is the fact that the boys were almost taken. I will be talking with my advisors to finalize things, Mrs. Darkly, but I think the Sanctuary can help with some surveillance and extra protection for your family."

Mum smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Ms. Sorrows. Auger is going back to school in a few weeks, and we're starting the training back up again tomorrow. We'll also be keeping a close watch on the boys from now on."

China just nodded again and left, along with Tanith and Ghastly. A cleaver escorted us back out to the car. Omen was focused on his feet again, and Mum and Dad were arguing in whispers.

"Hold on a sec," I said quickly. Mum turned. "I'll be right back, I just have to uh, ask a question real quick."

I sprinted back down the hall to where Jadia was just leaving the debrief room. She looked up, confused when she saw me.

"Excuse me Ms. Jadia, but I was um, wondering if there was any way I could contact her, that girl, Angel? You know, just to tell her thanks and stuff."

She paused, rifling through her papers. "I don't have an exact number to give you Mr Darkly, but I'm sure I can pass on the message."

I nodded, a little disappointed. "Oh, um, okay. Thanks."

She smiled. "You're welcome. I'm sure she'll be glad you thought of her."

I went back to the car where my family was waiting. My parents were still arguing, and barely noticed when I got in. Omen looked at me questioningly but didn't say anything. He never did.


	6. Chapter 6 - Angel

I woke up with a splitting headache.

"You're awake." A voice said. I blinked, clearing the spots from my vision. I saw Kenspeckle Grouse next to the hospital bed, checking something on a monitor.

I coughed suddenly. The jerky movement jostled my arm and ankle, causing both to scream in pain. I breathed in sharply.

"I've noticed," I finally said, wincing. "Unfortunately."

He chuckled. "You might want to hold still for a little while. I was able to set your nose, although-Hey! Keep that tape on."

"Sorry."

He sighed. "As I was saying, your nose has been set, and you can take the tape off _soon_. However, it'll be awhile until your black eyes have gone away. I also fixed your ankle. Since you actually _broke_ it, the cast can't come off for another day or so. You should be fine."

I nodded. "And my shoulder?"

"Ah, the pièce de résistance. Somehow, you managed to break your ankle, nose, and get _shot!_ You're lucky we had the medical attention you needed on hand. You'll survive, but you lost a lot of blood. Again, you're _extremely_ lucky."

That explained my lightheadedness. Kenspeckle looked annoyed and gave me a pointed look. Actually, it was probably more of a glare. I groaned inwardly, preparing for a lecture. "At the very least, Skulduggery wasn't involved this time."

"Yes, but if it weren't for him involving you with all of the training, then you never would have been there."

"Arguably, it's Ghastly's fault for not letting me help Skulduggery on his case. Then I never would've been on the train in the first place. But _then_ , the Darkly brothers would be missing, and you know how much Skulduggery would be involved with _that_ , so either way, I'd _still_ be involved because there is no _way_ I'd let Skulduggery take on a crisis that big and leave me out on it."

Kenspeckle snorted. He seemed thoughtful for a moment. "You're just like Cain," he finally murmured, almost to himself. I stopped. There was an unspoken rule that you didn't bring up Valkyrie Cain unless Skullduggery did. It had happened only a few times, and they were all very brief mentions of her. Once or twice, he'd accidentally start to call me Val, but he always caught himself before he could say Valkyrie. He'd be quiet for the rest of the day afterward.

Everybody missed her like crazy, but Tanith was the only one who ever really talked about her. From what I'd heard, she seemed like a great person, like the one you'd instantly want to be friends with. I did know about the whole Darquesse part, but I knew that was all out of her control. I definitely was curious to know more about her.

"She was always ready to go out on the adventure, you know. She was a great sorcerer, smart, confident, stubborn, with a sharp tongue, too." He paused. "A lot like you. I tried to limit her involvement. Whenever she came in from another fight wounded I'd heal her, give her a warning and a lecture, then send her off. I told Skullduggery to be more careful too, but he never listened."

I looked down at my hands.

He continued, softer now. "The whole Darquesse thing broke her. She did things she's not proud of, and no one can ever forget what happened. None of it was her fault, she did what she could to stop it, but I always wonder. If I had stopped her earlier, would she still be here? She left to America to escape what she did, leaving her parents and her little sister here." Kenspeckle paused, seemingly unsure now. "This world slowly tore her apart. Angel, I haven't known you for half as long as I knew her, but I know you're kind, funny, smart, a great mage, and goddammit, you're stubborn. You've come to my door bleeding and broken so many times I've lost count. I think you could do great things someday, but I don't want you to become the next Valkyrie Cain." He stopped, looking down. Then he looked right back into my eyes.

"I want you to be better."

0000000000

When Kenspeckle had left, I had a lot to think about. Who were the men? Why did they want the Darkly brothers? _Both_ brothers? Would I become like Valkyrie Cain? What did Kenspeckle mean by _better_ than her? What about those "great things"?

Tanith came in a few hours after Kenspeckle had left. At that point, I was bored out of my mind. I had tried sleeping, but the pain in my shoulder and ankle refused to go away, and the nurses had insisted that they couldn't give me any morphine or other drugs.

"Angel!" she said, walking in. "How are you doing?"

I tried sitting up, but more pain shot up from my ankle and shoulder. Moving was out of the question. I tilted my head towards her.

"I'm alive?" I finally answered. She rolled her eyes.

"That had to be one of the more stupid things you've done. Do you know how-"

"I know, I know. Kenspeckle's already lectured me." She sighed.

"You're just lucky you weren't killed. That would have been hard to explain to Skulduggery." I opened my mouth to ask where he was, but Tanith was already ahead of me. "He's currently in Norway, and he can't leave. We'll try and get a message to him as soon as possible, but he probably won't be back until school starts for you."

My eyes widened. Crap, school? I had completely forgotten about it. "Don't you think that, you know, after all of this," I said, waving my hand, "that it could maybe, wait?" The naive hopefulness was clear in my voice.

Tanith snorted. "Nice try," she told me, "Doc says you'll be fine in a few days, and Corrival doesn't start for two weeks."

I groaned. "Do I have to?"

"Yes."

0000000000

After two days in the hospital I was finally allowed home. My shoulder and ankle still ached if I used them too much, but I was assured that that was just a side effect. I would be back to normal in less than a week.

I had yet to experience any nightmares due to my sleeping medication. It made actually getting rest a whole lot easier. Kenspeckle gave me them because, by the end of the day, my shoulder and ankle hurt like hell from walking around, This was a side effect of being healed so quickly. He has given me a whole bottle, and there was still almost a whole bottle left.

After a few days of being home from the hospital, I got a letter from Corrival Academy. I only had a week and a half left of vacation. The entrance exam was exactly one week from today. We would be tested on academics, magic, and combat.

Along with it came my uniforms. They fit fairly well, and I couldn't resist twirling a little in the mirror. As a second year (Good God I _still_ couldn't figure out the school system), I had a green tie, and the piping on my blazer was green. I had the option of pants or skirts for the bottoms, but I didn't really care which one I wore. The skirt might be nice for spring, but I would definitely wear the all black pants for winter. The skirt was also black, which though I found a bit morbid, was still comfortable. I had gone to private schools in New York, so uniforms were normal for me. Still annoying, but normal.

After uniforms came school supplies, and then packing. I realized something.

I absolutely suck at packing.

I either pack too much, or not enough, and all the wrong things. It took me three days just to figure out what I needed to bring, then two to decide what I was actually going to bring, and on the last day I just sort of ended up cramming a bunch of clothes and books into a trunk or two.

This should be interesting.


	7. Chapter 7 - Omen

"Come on Omen, we're going to be late!"

My mother had not let either me or Auger go ten minutes without being checked on since the subway incident. It wasn't like there was anywhere for us to go, the press was camped outside of our house.

Now we had to go to school, and she was ridiculously anxious. I don't really know how Auger deals with it, because I'm ready to pull my hair out. As the second brother, I have none of the benefits Auger has; good looks, love from our parents, skill, etc, etc. I have all of the negatives.

Today was no exception. We had packed all of our things in advance (Auger's were of course neatly organized, while mine were thrown into my trunk haphazardly), but I still lingered. Home in the summer wasn't exactly a fun place to be, but it was more fun than school. The only time I ever really had fun was when Auger and I could sneak out and explore the city. It didn't really happen often. School was just an endless monotony of droning teachers and homework assignments. Come to think of it though, being stuck with teachers and homework was probably still better than being stuck in my bedroom with my nagging parents.

I finally dragged myself out of the house and crawled into the car sent from the sanctuary. On the hour drive, Mum quizzed both of us on safety precautions, the safe rooms, etc. I think I fell asleep once or twice, but Mum didn't notice nor care. When we finally got there, even Auger looked bored.

The entrance hall looked spectacular, and I had to work hard not to look impressed. They had expanded the school, adding new dorms and classrooms. Apparently they had also added onto the library. Never would be happy about that.

That reminded me. When would Never arrive? She had a talent of being "fashionably late", but occasionally she was on time. It seemed though, that the more important an event was, the later Never arrived.

Knowing Never, she would probably arrive at least a couple hours late, and claim plane issues. It wasn't that long of a drive, but her father insisted on traveling in style.

I pulled out my phone to see if I had any texts. I saw Never had posted a picture getting on the private jet an hour ago.

I sighed, she was probably getting coffee. It was _way_ too early to be awake and out of bed. My phone buzzed as I started to put it into my pocket.

Never had texted.

 _Here_

 _Where r u?_

I smiled a little at the confused face he had sent me. She was early.

A lady called out my group, also Never's group, for testing. Right on time. I saw Never trot over to the front of the line and gave a little wave. I don't think he noticed me.

I sighed. I'm used to it. I don't know why I bother being used to it. I'm the younger brother, the one easily ignored. That's okay though, it's better than having the pressure to excel at everything.

With that happy though, I trudged into the exam room hopeful I would atleast pass.


	8. Chapter 8 - Angel

"This is a horrible idea." I said, climbing out of the car.

"Would you stop complaining already? You're going to be fine." Tanith rolled her eyes at my hesitance. "You're perfectly okay with fighting grown mages and throwing yourself into danger, but you can't face boarding school?"

I sighed, resigned to my fate. Did I want to go to boarding school in a country I'd lived in for less than a year? No. No I did not. But was it "necessary"? Yes, apparently it was. The fact that I still had two black eyes was not helping my confidence. Makeup had not been much help, so I decided to just hope nobody stared too much.

Tanith helped me carry my things, but we didn't have to take them far as there was trolleys for luggage that needed to be taken up to the room. Tanith smiled and waved goodbye as she walked back to the car. I watched it drive off and felt a pang loneliness.

Other students milled about in varying outfits. We didn't have to wear our uniforms until school actually started in two days. We were to use the two days left to mingle, meet people, get our schedules set, and to set up our rooms for the year. It seemed many students already knew each other, so I busied myself by looking at the art on the walls. Apparently it was the student gallery. I had to admit, some of the kids were pretty talented.

Over the course of an hour, students were called off in groups for the various exams. The magic and combat tests were being taken individually, while the academic tests were taken as a large group.

My group was called first. We were led into a crisp classroom with a beautiful view of the school's lawn. It looked like something out of a movie.

The test itself was easy. I doubt I got more than four answers wrong. Being in advanced classes in New York, I knew most of the answers.

When we handed in our tests, we were directed down a polished hallway by a stiff man. He introduced himself as Mr Pickett. He made it clear that he meant business, and he would not tolerate any talking or meandering. To be honest, he freaked me out a little.

After being arranged into a line in alphabetical order outside of a classroom, students were called in by a teacher, Ms Wicked, for our magic test. When we were done, we had to go upstairs for the combat exam. Apparently the instructor, Mr Reticent was waiting in the training room to test us. From what I heard from the student's whispering, he was fairly famous. I'd never heard of him.

We were waiting for a while. I kept checking my watch, willing it to be ten o'clock so we could go up to our rooms and prep them for the year.

I felt a tap on my shoulder, and turned. "Um, do you have the time?"

The girl standing behind me had dark circles under her eyes. Her black hair was tied up in a sleek ponytail which swung around when she cocked her head at me.

"What did you do to your face?" Her eyes were wide.

"What do you mean?" I was confused until she gestured at her eyes.

"Oh, I uh, I tripped." Actually not a bad lie. I am a huge klutz at times.

"And got two black eyes?"

"I broke my nose."

"Oh." She looked up at the ceiling, bored. "What's the time?"

"Ten to nine." She nodded. "I'm Angel. What's your name?"

"Reina Phoenix."

"Dare, Angel?"

I looked up. Ms Wicked was standing in front of the door looking expectantly at me. I walked over.

"That's me."

Reina gave me a reassuring smile as I followed Ms. Wicked. She gestured for me to walk in and sit. She took the chair in front of me. Smiling, she opened a folder and pulled out a sheet of paper.

"How are you doing today?" She asked.

"Fine, I guess." I was not fine. I was nervous and anxious and ready for today to be over. Ms Wicked laughed.

"Don't worry, I don't bite." She said, then paused. "Most of the time." She winked at me.

I laughed at that, and felt much better. She actually seemed like a nice person. I felt much more at ease when she started asking questions.

"So Angel, which discipline are you interested to train in?"

"Elemental."

"Mm. Any others? Just that one?"

"Yep. Just one."

She smiled, and wrote something on her paper. "You know, Elemental magic, while it is very rewarding, takes a lot of effort, and it has taken the two prominent elemental sorcerers _centuries_ to master it."

"I'm aware."

Ms Wicked laughed. "Okay, just so you know, there will be other workshops to explore other options. You won't have to stay with this one for forever."

I didn't answer her. I'd already decided on Elemental, and at this rate, I would surge with it.

Ms Wicked explained the exam.

She told me I had to push a paper clip. I did it. Then pull it. I did it easily. She told me to hold it in the air for as long as I could.

This stuff was way too easy. After holding the paper clip in the air for five minutes, she decided to go to something harder.

Ms Wicked handed me a dictionary. It was one of the big hardcover ones that weigh a million pounds.

She seemed impressed I was able to push and pull it, even more so when I was able to hold it in the air for five more minutes.

She did the same with an extra desk that was in the corner. Once again, I pushed, pulled, and lifted it. That was fairly difficult. I do my best magic on adrenaline rushes, and even then I mainly just do strong quick blasts of air. THose don't require much finesse and are easier in a fight.

"Wow! That's pretty impressive. Angel, what's the heaviest thing you've lifted before?"

I blinked. She would never believe me.

"Oh, well um, I think the heaviest thing is a uh, person."

Ms Wicked nodded. If she was surprised, she didn't show it. She probably didn't realize that it was in a fight. A fight where I almost died.

Maybe not mention that part.

"So, are you as developed in the other aspects as well as you are in air?"

"Fire is almost as good, but water is shaky."

"And you haven't done anything with earth?"

"No." I knew when and how to use earth magic, but I never wanted to use it. The idea that I could be turned into a living time capsule with no idea when I would open terrified me.

"Good. Make a flame for me?"

I did.

"Try bigger now."

The flame steadily grew from the size of a grape, to an apple, and then to a small melon. It kind of scared me how much power I could have with just a click of my fingers.

"How long can you hold it? The test only requires you to make it, not hold it, but I'm curious."

"A while. To be honest though, I've never really timed it."

"And can you keep it at that size?" Her tone of voice clearly showed her shock and curiousity.

"I think so."

"Can you throw it? Like a fireball?" I nodded. "Show me." Ms. Wicked pointed at a stone target board near the desk I had lifted.

"Umm," I didn't know what to tell her. My aim was horrible. I could hit the board or the wall.

Ms. Wicked seemed to read my mind. "It's okay if your aim isn't great. We have sigils that prevent fire spreading in this room."

Breathing out a sigh of relief, I stood up from my chair and faced the target board. She moved out of the way so I could have a clear shot. I twisted my arm back and "threw" the fire like you would with a ball.

Thankfully it actually hit the target. It wasn't quite where I had been aiming, but I was close enough. Little scorch marks marred the surface of the dented stone, and little flecks of ash floated down. No fire spread.

She seemed impressed. Nodding, she said, "Onto water now."

Honestly, I've barely done any work with the element of water. I didn't see much use for it except to dry off after a shower.

I looked at the glass of water placed in front of me. Taking a deep breath, I felt out with my fingers to try and "sense" the water. Ghastly says I have a different approach to magic than most elementals do. He decided to not teach me too much because my methods seemed to work well for me. Even still, the water element was probably my weakest point.

I could feel the energy and molecules of water in the cup. They seemed to tingle my fingers. Carefully, I lifted my hand to bring the water out of the cup. I held it four or five inches above the rim for about thirty seconds until something distracted me. I lost control and the water began to fall and flood on the desk.

Ms. Wicked caught it. My face was still caught in a mask of surprise. The liquid shimmered in the sunlight coming through the window. She placed the water orbs back into the cup.

"I didn't expect you to pick it _all_ up."

"Oh." I flushed red. "Sorry about dropping it."

Ms Wicked laughed. "That's quite alright dear. I thought you would only lift a drop or two. I don't know many students who can lift that much at one time."

A tiny smile spread across my face. Maybe this year wouldn't be so bad after all.


End file.
